The present invention relates to an approach for preventing dings and dents of a vehicle, and more particularly to a protection system that adjustably attaches to the vehicle""s door.
For most consumers, an automobile is a substantial financial investment. Thus, motorists aim to care for their automobiles to preserve the automobiles"" appearance as well as operation. A rampant problem is the occurrence of dings and dents, which arise from the carelessness of other motorists when opening the doors of their cars. These careless acts may appear innocent; however, the resulting damage or abrasions to the sides of the automobiles entail significant repair costs. Motorists, thus, self-impose the inconvenience of parking far away from other cars to avoid the possibility of receiving a ding on their cars. Because of the expense in terms of actual cost and time, a large number of automobile owners leave these dings and dents unrepaired, despite being disheartened by the marred appearance of the car. Therefore, prevention is the best course of action.
A number of techniques have been developed to avoid or minimize dings and dents. These conventional techniques suffer from many drawbacks. Conventional apparatuses that cover the sides of the cars are unwieldy to engage and are time consuming. Consequently, the motorist is not likely to deploy the device, particularly if the motorist is parking for a very short time. In addition, these devices lack compactness, and thus, cannot be easily stored. Further, such devices are aesthetically displeasing, detracting from the appearance of the car. Also, these devices can only be placed at one position on the side of the car and are unable to adapt to adjacent cars of varying heights. These devices are also inflexible in that they may need to be custom manufactured for different car makes and models, as the lengths of car doors vary. Further, the complexity of some of these conventional devices require expensive manufacturing processes. Some of these traditional devices are described below.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,871,205 to Bray provides a finish protection apparatus that includes unitary first and second elongated sections, triangular in cross sections joined by a living hinge such that the first and second elongated sections are normally aligned in an operational configuration. These elongated sections may be folded together at the hinge. Each of the first and second elongated sections includes magnets distributed along its length to facilitate removably affixing the apparatus to the side of a vehicle by magnetic attraction. One key drawback of the Bray design is that the length of the sections cannot be readily adjusted. Another drawback is that the magnetic strips along the section to secure the sections may themselves introduce scratches to the delicate paint of the automobile.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,179,354 to Bennett, Jr. involves a vehicle body side protector that includes a row of panels having a pair of opposite end panels and at least one middle panel interposed between the end panels. Each of the panels is pivotally coupled to the adjacent panels in the row of panels. This design extends to the entire length of the car, consequently, the appearance of the car is greatly diminished. Additionally, this protector is not compact and lacks flexibility in the height adjustment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,002,363 to James provides an apparatus that includes a number of elongate members disconnectably joined together by resilient elongatable means to form an array which extends alongside an automobile. Attachment members are provided at both ends of the array for attachment to locations such as the wheel openings in the fenders of an automobile. The resilient interconnection of the separate elongate members allows the members to be folded back alongside one another when removed from the outside of an automobile. One drawback of this approach is that the apparatus requires a complex arrangement of parts, which may result in high manufacturing costs. In addition, the apparatus is inflexible with respect to any height adjustment. Although the members can be folded, the folded configuration is still bulky. Further, because a number of engagement points exist, it may require significant time to deploy the apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,889,165 to Zientara provides a rubber tube of a fixed length that attaches to the edges of the vehicle door for protection. The length of the single tube extends almost entirely along the door panel. A key drawback of this design is that the fixed length does not permit ease of storage. Also the fixed length does not provide for vertical adjustment of the position of the tube, as the length of the vehicle door varies with the vertical position. Additionally, the rubber tubing is aesthetically displeasing when placed along the car. Further, deployment of the rubber tube along side the car is unwieldy, in large part, because of the length.
Therefore, there is a need for a protective apparatus that is easy to engage, compact, costeffective, and does not detract from the appearance of the automobile.
These and other needs are addressed by the present invention, in which an apparatus is provided for minimizing dings and dents on the side of a vehicle. The protective apparatus includes telescopic members attachably engaged on the edges of a door of a vehicle, wherein the height of the apparatus is adjustable.
In one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for protecting a vehicle is disclosed. The apparatus includes a first member coupled to a strip having a malleable hook. The apparatus also includes a second member telescopically housing the first member. The second member has a strip with another malleable hook. The members are extended along a side of the vehicle door with the respective fastening means along the edges of the vehicle door.
In another aspect of the present invention, a protective device for preventing dings and dents of a vehicle door is disclosed. The protective device includes a plurality of members slidably coupled as to be housed within one of the members. The device also includes means for fastening an end of one of the members different from the housing member to a first edge of the vehicle door and for fastening an end of another one of the members different from the housing member to a second edge of the vehicle door. Further, the device includes means for providing tension among the members and the fastening means to secure the protective device horizontally along the vehicle door. The protective device is adjusted vertically along the vehicle door based upon an expected impact point of a door of a separate vehicle.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a method for protecting a vehicle door from dings and dents is disclosed. The method includes fastening one end of a protective bar to an edge of a door, wherein the protective bar includes a plurality of members that telescopically extend and retract. The method includes extending the protective bar telescopically, and fastening another end of the protective bar to another edge of the door.
Still other aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description, simply by illustrating a number of particular embodiments and implementations, including the best mode contemplated for carrying out the present invention. The present invention is also capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details can be modified in various obvious respects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the drawing and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.